to know; as if he had the idea that in addressing a foreigner, it was only necessary to speak very loudly, and in some foreign language.
It was this habit, I believe, which caused Shaayea erroneously to imagine that the captain was angry with him. He used often to exclaim, "I pray you, O lady, ask the captain to forgive me!" and at my request the captain sometimes came out to comfort him, when he would tap him on the shoulder and say, "All right, old fellow, you not enough mangez!" or, if it were in the evening, he would say, "Cheer up, Solomon, it's all right; you'll be better to-morrow—dormez! dormez!" On the evening of the 25th of June, Shaayea startled me by declaring himself a Christian. I said, "Shaayea, for what reason do you say you are a Christian?" He astonished me still more by answering, "For the sake of the Messiah," and added, "Tell the captain, I pray you, that I am a Christian, and then he will not be angry with me any more." I said, "I assure you, Shaayea, that the captain is not and never has been angry with you; and whether you are a Moslem, a Christian, or a Jew, you are as safe in his ship as if you were in your home at Aleppo, and if you could understand his language how kind he is." But he urged me still, and I consented to tell the captain what he had said, though I could very clearly see that he was only prompted to make this declaration by excessive and ill grounded fear. I did all I could to inspire him with confidence. I reminded him of the courage of David and of Daniel, when they were in real danger, and of their trust in God. I told him that he might take food from us with out doing violence to his conscience by calling himself a Christian. I said, "I think, if Rabbi Mûssa himself could speak to you, he would say,'Peace be upon you, Shaayea; eat that you may live.'" I added, "Remember how David and his attendants, when they were hungry, did eat even of the consecrated bread." He said, "God bless you, O my protectress!" Soon afterward he took a cup of coffee
